The Death of a Lifetime
by LoveandButterflyKisses
Summary: Lily and James right before their death. I know it's been done before, but in the second chapter there's a twist! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Lily smiled. She was in the kitchen on Holloween night, putting away the dishes from dinner. James and Harry were in the living room, playing together. Lily thought about what a great father James was. In the beginning, he didn't want to have kids, but Lily pushed for it. Now, it seemed that James was more involved in Harry's life than she was, even with all the hours at the Ministry...

As all this was running through her head, a crash from the living room brought her back into the present time. Lily grabbed a hand towel, wiped off her hands quickly, and ran into the other room. "What's wrong? Is Harry hurt?" she cried.

James smiled. He was on the floor with Harry on his lap. A toy broomstick was wedged between two pictures, one of Lily and James on their wedding day and a Muggle portrait of the three of them. "No worries," James grinned. "Harry just had a little accident."

Lily groaned. "I knew that broomstick would cause trouble. God only knows why Padfoot bought it for him. By the way, is he still coming over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah, he owled me earlier and said to make sure you make meatballs. You know the ones, from the recipe from Italy?" James said. Lily rolled her eyes. Sirius asked for those meatballs every time they came over. They had them three times a week, and soon, it would be every day. Glancing around the room one last time, Lily picked up Harry and walked into the kitchen again.

"Mommy." Harry said. "Mommy."

Lily gasped. Harry had said his first word. "James! James, come here!" When James didn't come, Lily grabbed Harry again and walked back into the living room. James was sitting there with a stunned look on his face.

James sat on the ground for about ten more seconds, then shook his head and got out of his stupor. "Sweetheart," he whispered. "Take Harry and run. He's here." James got up, and grabbed his wand. "I'll try to hold him back, but you have to get out of here, OK?"

Oh, God, Lily thought. It can't be him. "OK. I love you. Stay safe." Lily kissed James- for the last time? No, I'm not going to let myself think like that.

James looked at Lily. "I love you too. Keep our son safe. I can't let both of you... I can't lose both of you." Lily ran up the stairs into the nursery. She heard the door open then a flash of green light blasted throughout the room. "No" she whispered. "Not him."

Footsteps approached her, quickly. She put Harry down in the crib, then spread her arms wide over her son, hoping that it would keep this monster away from her son.

The door opened. A man, covered with a hood, walked into the room. "Step aside, silly girl," the man said, "for you do not need to die. I have come to get only one, and you do not need to perish like your husband did."

Lily screamed, "Not Harry, not Harry! Please, kill me, not Harry!"

The man took of his hood, revealing a face like a snake. "I have given you your choice. You have one more chance."

Lily shivered. She wasn't thinking at all. All she could say was "Not my son! Not my boy! Not Harry! Take me instead."

Voldemort replied quietly, "My foolish girl, I will take both of you. Avada kedavra!"

A flash of green light filled the room, then silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for taking this long to add this chapter! I decided to put James' side in after I asked my friend to proofread my work. He thought that I should explain how James knew, yadda yadda yadda. I finally thought that I would listen to him for once, mainly because he made sense. **** Anyway, see what you think, and tell me if you want anything else!**

**Oh, and I think that you'll like this- when I put "Kedavra' into my computer, the spell-check thing came up, and the computer's suggested work was "cheddar". Imagine if that was the curse! "Avada cheddar!' LOL **

** -Natz29**

James sat on the cold floor of the living room, watching his son with careful eyes. Harry was flying around the room on his toy broomstick. Sirius, Harry's godfather, had given it to him for his birthday, and the stupid thing had been Harry's favorite present by far. Of course, James was still looking forward to the time when he would be able to teacher Harry how to ride on a real broomstick. Harry would be a Seeker, just like his father and grandfather, and he would start playing early, in second year maybe...

A crash brought him out of his thoughts. Harry giggled as he flew through the air. James caught him just in time, and even he couldn't help laughing. Lily, James's beautiful wife of two years, ran into the room.

"What's wrong? Is Harry hurt?" she cried out. James inwardly rolled his eyes. Lily was such a worrier. Of course, with James watching over her only son, maybe she should be worried. But it was his son too!

James calmed her down by saying, "No worries. Harry just had a little accident." James looked at the room for the first time, studying the damage caused. The broomstick was stuck in-between a picture of Lily and himself on their wedding day and a Muggle picture of the three of them. Lily had wanted that picture so badly, so James had finally given in to her, but not before he had given up a fight.

Lily sighed. "I knew that broomstick would cause trouble. God only knows why Padfoot bought it for him. By the way, is he still coming over for dinner tomorrow?"

James laughed inwardly. "Yeah, he owled me earlier and said to make sure you make meatballs. You know the ones, from the recipe from Italy?" James smiled, remembering the trip to Italy on their honeymoon. The meatballs that James's cousin had made were delicious, and when Lily tried a batch at home, Padfoot had adored them. Now, every time he came over, he requested- well, more like demanded- them. Lily rolled her eyes.

"He wants them EVERY time that he comes over. I'll get started." She picked up Harry and walked over to the kitchen. James got up off the floor and walked over to the broomstick. He pulled it out of the mantle. Suddenly, a whoosh of air flew by his head. Dizzy, he fell to the ground, but cast a quick spell so that Lily would not hear him.

A snake appeared out of smoke, and a raspy voice came from it. "You know who I am, and what I must do. James, you have heard the prophecy. I will be there tonight. In fact, I am right outside the door. Do not hide, for it is useless. Just give me what I want." With a whoosh, the Patronus was gone.

James sat there, speechless, for a moment. I head his wife calling my name... his wife. Right then, hearing Lily's voice, he knew what he had to do.

She ran into the room, their son in her arms. James sat on the floor for one more moment, collecting himself. Then, when he knew that he was- well, not OK, but better- he kissed Harry on the head and looked into Lily's eyes. "Take Harry and run. He's here." James got up, and grabbed my wand. "I'll try to hold him back, but you have to get out of here, OK?"

Lily looked at him, stricken with fear, but James knew that she was aware of the danger they were both in. "OK. I love you. Stay safe." She kissed him. James tried not to cry.

Tearing up, he managed to choke out, "I love you too. Keep our son safe. I can't let both of you... I can't lose both of you." Lily ran with Harry, upstairs.

James positioned himself to sit in front of the door. As he waited for Voldemort to come, flashbacks flew through his mind. The day that he met Lily. Their first kiss. The day they got married. Lily telling him that she was pregnant. Holding his son for the first time. Moving into the house at Godric's Hollow with the two of them. Seeing Harry on a broomstick for the first time. If he was about to die, these would be the memories that would be going through his mind.

When Voldemort opened the front door, James was ready to die. Under his breath, he whispered, "I am not afraid of you, I am afraid for you. For I have felt love, security, and friendship throughout my life. Good luck, and I will pray for you, even in death."

Voldemort whispered, "I need no prayers, for I will be the one who defeats, not the one who is defeated. _Avada Kedavra_!"

Green light flew through the room.


End file.
